A Cutting-Plane Approach for Transmission Expansion Planning with Integration of Remote Generation Sources

Abstract

The growing integration of renewable energy sources into power systems underscores the need for effective solution methods in Transmission Expansion Planning (TEP). This paper addresses underexplored aspects of the DC Optimal Power Flow-based TEP (DC-TEP) problem, particularly in expanding networks to accommodate new generation sources. We leverage the graph-based Longest Shortest-Path Connection (LSPC) algorithm to enhance the mixed-integer linear programming disjunctive formulation of the DC-TEP. By identifying plausible power flow paths between disconnected buses, this method efficiently generates tighter cutting planes than those derived from the traditional, intractable Longest Path Problem (LPP). To handle the large number of cutting planes that LSPC can generate for large-scale transmission networks, we also propose an efficient scheme to select a subset of effective cuts for the model. The computational advantages of this algorithm are demonstrated through application to real-world cases.